I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slat cleaning tool. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tool for cleaning slag and other accumulated debris from the slats of a work piece support table used to support work pieces.
II. Related Art
Cutting shapes from a work piece such as metal sheets or plates is commonly performed using a beam of energy created by laser or plasma. The work piece is typically supported on a table that consists of narrow, spaced apart slats. Molten material is removed from the cut area or kerf and some is deposited and forms slag on the top and sides of the slats. Slats typically have peaks and valleys which minimizes the possibility of the cut beam contacting the peak and creating a bad mark on the bottom of the work piece. As slag and debris accumulates, an increasing area of the slats contact the bottom of the work piece leading to uneven support which contributes to loss of cut quality and accuracy. The slats therefore need to be replaced or cleaned to eliminate such slag and debris from the support table. Prior art methods and tools used for this purpose have proven to be costly, inefficient and not always effective. Often the slats must be removed from the table for cleaning. There is a real need in the art for a tool which can be employed to quickly and efficiently remove slag from the slats without requiring their removal from the table.